Wedge-cutting machine including template and hold-down

ABSTRACT

A wedge-cutting machine including a sliding wedge template having a base affixed with a series of diagonally staggered uprights forming a series of diagonally staggered wedge blank receiving slots longitudinally connected by a straight sawcut, and a co-acting combination hold-down and fence having cantilevered top for receiving therebeneath and guiding the wedge template, all disclosed in the context of use in combination with an overhead saw. A series-connected rubber-base template is described.

I United States Patent 1191 1111 3,731,721 Reese 1 May 8, 1973 541 WEDGE-CUTTING MACHINE 3,118,158 l/l964 Harrington et al .143 25 R x INCLUDING TEMPLATE AND HOLD. 2,789,596 4/1957 Barnes et al.

2,581,682 l/l952 McCormick..... 624,753 5/1899 Clubb .l43/l() [76] Inventor: Albert W. Reese, RT. No. 2, Box

360A, Ham tead, Md, 21074 Primary ExaminerAndrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan [22] 1 Flled: Sept 1970 AttorneyJohn F. McClellan, Sr [21] Appl. No.: 72,378

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S.Cl ..l44/253E A wedge'cuttlng machine including Sliding .wedge 51 Int. Cl. ..B2'7b 25 10 32 havmg if? i a Series [58] Field of Search ..144/13, 125, 127, i m y Staggee 8 3 0 144/162 B 242 A 253 E 253 G 193 I. tagonally staggered wedge blank recelvmg slots longltudmally connected by a straight sawcut, and a col43/8 25 49 49 49 49 51 acting combination hold-down and fence having can- 51 A, 52 R1 52 168 tilevered top for receiving therebeneath and guiding 47 B the wedge template, all disclosed in the context of use in combination with an overhead saw. A series-con- References Cited nected rubber-base template is described.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1,422,316 7/1922 Spiller ..l43/5l A UX CUTTING LINE g Patented May 8, 1973 2 Shoots-Sheet l NQI M1 L E T Patented May 8, 1973 3,731, 721

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/GB WEDGE-CUTTING MACHINE INCLUDING TEMPLATE AND HOLD-DOWN This invention relates generally to woodworking devices and more particularly to means for producing wedges.

Especially in the construction industry wooden wedges are used in large numbers, as in shimming, stabilizing, shifting,,levelling, and tightening such structure as concrete forms.

Often on a job site wedges are made by crude methods. Chopping out wedges one at a time with an ax, or sawing wedges one or two at a time with a power saw or by hand is not unusual. Cutting wedges with an ordinary circular saw can be especially dangerous since small pieces can break off at the angle cut and kick back if the wood is loose grained. Wedge cutting with a radial-arm saw is preferred, but this also can be unsafe, particularly if the wood contains knots or other discontinuities.

Wedges made one at a time by cut-and-try methods vary in size and shape, and cause delay and difficulty to the user in selecting among them on the job, as for example, to pick one with the proper angle. Wedges cut to wrong angles can spring out, fall through, or split when driven. Particularly if they are roughly cut, it is not always easy to choose a wedge to hold reliably under severe vibration, as when a concrete form secured by the wedge will be subjected to heavy, continued pouring, and failure of a wedge under such circumstances can be expensive and, hazardous.

Objects of my present invention are therefore to provide a wedge-cutting template and, hold down assembly which is adaptedfor use with radial-arm (overhead circular-type) saws to mass-produce uniform wedges having smooth, accurately angled surfaces without any special skill on the part of the operator, and to produce wedges safely, quickly and economically.

Further objects of this invention are to provide -a device as described which can be constructed largely of the same lengths of materials kept on hand for use as wedge blanks, which is rugged and durable, which requires no angle adjustment, and which is adapted to produce a continuous stream of wedges if necessary.

I embody my invention typically in a sliding rack comprising an elongated base with a regularly staggered array of diagonally disposed holding blocks affixed in series to the upper surface of the base forming slots between them to comprise a wedge template, and in combination fence and holddown assembly having a slotted top.

The above and other advantages and objects of my invention will become more readily apparent from a detailed reading of the following description, including examination of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the sliding-rack element of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 1; with hinge connection and rubber base modifications;

FIG. 3 is a perspective drawing of the combination fence and hold-down element of my invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation looking in the direction of A, FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse section through the mid-body of the structure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in combination with elements ofa saw.

Turning now to detailed description of FIGS. 1 and 2, I show at 10 and respectively the sliding rack assembly which positions wedge blanks for cutting in multiple lots, as for example, sixteen at a time in the unit shown.

The wedge blanks used are first cut to length and then laid in the slots 12 formed by the staggered series of uprights 14. The uprights 14 are bolted to base 18 by countersunk bolts 16, or alternatively to base 118 (FIG. 2) similarly. The uprights are short lengths of wood of about the same size as the wedge blanks used, and may be actually made from wedge blanks.

The base 18 is preferably made of a length of plywood of substantial thickness, such as three-eighths to three-fourths inch thick, depending on length. There is no particular limitation on the length of rack 10 other than ease of handling and the available length of the table along which the rack is slid under the saw. Base 118 (FIG. 2) is flexible and connectable at the ends 50 for reasons which will appear later.

Handles 20, which may be of wood, are fixed on one or both sides of the base 18 to facilitate sliding the rack under the saw along the cutting line, which is marked.

As will be seen, the first pass of rack 10 under the saw in operation creates longitudinal slot 22 in the length of the rack connecting the staggered slots along the cutting line, and down to the top of the base 18 in depth.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show the combination fence and holddown assembly 30 which I provide for use with the previously describedrack assembly.

As I have illustrated it in perspective in FIG. 3, the combination fence and holddown 30 can be seen to be simple but effective in construction. Not counting fasteners, it consists of only three parts (1) the top 32 which is plywood and is slotted partway along the length at 34 (2) the bottom 36 which is a plate, preferably of plywood; and (3) the body 38 which is an elongated piece joining the top and bottom, and which is preferably formed of a solid piece of wood, for reasons which will become apparent. The bottom extends beyond the body at the side away from the overhang of the top, and preferably at one end as well, as shown, to permit easy and stable fastening to the saw table. A fourth part, strip 40 may be affixed, to the bottom 36 along edge 42 as a wear strip.

As I show in FIG. 4, a side elevation of the FIG. 3

structure, the top 32 overhangs the body at one end, as

well as at the side. The top 32 overhangs the body at one end, as well as at the side. The top 32 is slightly bent upward at the cantilevered end 42, which is the end away from the slot 34. This bend is made by an upward slope 44 formed in the upper surface of the body 38, to which the top is fastened. Having body 38 a solid piece of wood makes it easy to produce the bend in the top and unite the top and bottom securely, as by screws and bolts. The purpose of the upward bend in the top can best be understood by consideration of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 together in reference to operation of my invention.

In operation, the combination fence and holddown is affixed to the radial-saw table by bolting or clamping, with the saw set for ripping, so that the blade of the saw is oriented lengthwise of the saw table an is operating in slot 34. The rack 10, FIG. 1 is then filled with cut-off lengths of board or wedge blanks, which are laid on edge in slots 12. Next one end of the rack is inserted under the upwardly bent overhanging end 42 of the combination fence and holddown with one side of the rack in contact with strip 40. This aligns the saw blade 46 with the cutting line, as indicated in FIG. 5. The depth of cut just clears the thickness of base 18 of rack 10. The rack is then pushed through the combination fence and holddown along surface 48 of the saw table past the saw blade, thus producing (in the embodiment shown) 16 perfect wedges.

, Several advantages of my invention should be noted here. Plural racks can be used, each one following another and pushing it ahead, so that a continuous stream of wedges will emerge. Any hastily loaded wedge blanks which might be slightly cocked upwardly in the slots will be received and resiliently urged down by flexibly cantilevered upward slope 42 at the top, preventing them from jamming against the end of the combination fence and holddown assembly.

In a one-man continuous operation, using pre-loaded racks, the racks pushed past the saw can be allowed to fall off the end of the table. In a continuous multi-man operation there can be continuous removal, discharging and reloading of the racks. Discharging is simply a matter of turning the racks upside down. Feeding the racks into the saw and removing the racks from the table are not dangerous operations because the wedges are closely constrained at the top, bottom, sides and ends while under the saw, and only sawdust is driven through the slot 34 in the top.

In setting up my invention for operation the parallel edge of the rack on the side away from my combination holddown and fence should be arranged to be guided by the fence on the saw-table. Thus, almost no skill is required of the operator, since there is nothing he can do wrong so long as he does not turn the rack completely upside down; the rack is symmetrical about the cutting line and it does not matter which end is inserted first. The width is greater than the height and it cannot be inserted on its side. Even if the rack is fed through upside down, although the base will be cut, this will not damage the saw or injure operators since the bolts are offset from the cutting line and any wedge blanks contained will be trapped against the saw-table.

The FIG. 2 embodiment 110 is provided with a flexible base 1 18 of rubber, plastic, or other suitable material, with connections 50 at each end. The connections are preferably offset from the cutting line in plan view, and may be steel hinge-halves suitable for pin-attachment. This structure allows several of the units to be connected in an endless flexible loop strung over rollers at each end of the'saw-table. As the uprights pass over the discharge-end roller the completed wedges fall out; at the other end, wedge blanks are easily loaded as the connected units continuously rotate and pass under the saw.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for cutting wedges from wedge blanks,

comprising, in combination, overhead circular saw means having a table fixed therebeneath; a fence affixed to the table in offset alignment with the circular saw means, an elongated rack having diagonally-connected diagonally-staggered slots therein in series lengthwise of said rack and an edge adapted for guiding on the fence, hold-down means integral with the fence, the hold-down means including a top with an upturned end and having a slot for receiving the circular saw means, a body supporting the top in laterally cantilevered relation thereby forming a space beneath the top for receiving the rack means, and said body having an upwardly sloped surface supporting said upturned end of the top.

2. A machine for cutting wedges as recited in claim 1, wherein the integral fence and holddown means include a bottom member affixed beneath the body flush with one side of the body member and extending from beneath the body member in a direction opposite the flush side.

3. A machine for cutting wedges as recited in claim 2, wherein the flush edge of the bottom member has a wear strip affixed thereto.

4. A machine for cutting wedges from wedge blanks, comprising in combination: overhead circular saw means having a table fixed therebeneath, holddown means having a slot therein receiving the circular saw means, a fence affixed to the table in offset alignment with the circular saw means; an elongated rack having diagonally connected diagonally staggered slots therein in series lengthwise of said rack, an edge adapted for guiding on said fence, and provision at the ends thereof for connection to another said elongated rack; said elongate rack being symmetrical about said slot connection and comprising a flexible base having uprights secured on one surface thereof, forming said slots.

4 i k i l 

1. A machine for cutting wedges from wedge blanks, comprising, in combination, overhead circular saw means having a table fixed therebeneath; a fence affixed to the table in offset alignment with the circular saw means, an elongated rack having diagonallyconnected diagonally-staggered slots therein in series lengthwise of said rack and an edge adapted for guiding on the fence, holddown means integral with the fence, the hold-down means including a top with an upturned end and having a slot for receiving the circular saw means, a body supporting the top in laterally cantilevered relation thereby forming a space beneath the top for receiving the rack means, and said body having an upwardly sloped surface supporting said upturned end of the top.
 2. A machine for cutting wedges as recited in claim 1, wherein the integral fence and holddown means include a bottom member affixed beneath the body flush with one side of the body member and extending from beneath the body member in a direction opposite the flush side.
 3. A machine for cutting wedges as recited in claim 2, wherein the flush edge of the bottom member has a wear strip affixed thereto.
 4. A machine for cutting wedges from wedge blanks, comprising in combination: overhead circular saw means having a table fixed therebeneath, holddown means having a slot therein receiving the circular saw means, a fence affixed to the table in offset alignment with the circular saw means; an elongated rack having diagonally connected diagonally staggered slots therein in series lengthwise of said rack, an edge adapted for guiding on said fence, and provision at the ends thereof for connection to another said elongated rack; said elongate rack being symmetrical about said slot connection and comprising a flexible base having uprights secured on one surface thereof, forming said slots. 